Our Research

Kidney Research Centre

Kidney disease is a national health-care problem with potentially devastating consequences
for patients and their families.

Most kidney diseases are characterized by their relentless progression to kidney
failure and, unfortunately, there are few treatments that reliably halt this course.
The number of Canadians being treated for kidney failure has
tripled over the past two decades and experts are predicting a growing epidemic
of chronic kidney disease in Canada.

Established in 2000, the Kidney Research Centre (KRC) is Canada’s first research
facility devoted exclusively to investigating diseases that attack the kidney. It
is affiliated with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute,
the University of Ottawa and
The Ottawa Hospital. KRC scientists and clinician researchers are taking
a lead role nationally in developing new strategies to improve detection and treatment
of renal disease. They are also committed to training the next generation of kidney
research leaders, including graduate students and research fellows from Canada and
around the world.

In 2002, the KRC was awarded a grant of $8.6 million from the Canada Foundation
for Innovation and the Ontario Innovation Trust to construct and equip a new 15,000
square foot facility. In 2007, the Centre officially opened in a new building at
the University of Ottawa’s Smyth Road Campus, connected to the General Campus of
The Ottawa Hospital. The new facility includes updated research laboratories, a
cell culture facility and room for eight scientists. It is one of the largest kidney
research centres in North America.